Let Your Eyes Lead You

 

⁸ But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord;
        in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

—The words of King David from Psalm 141:8

 

Handguns seem fearful to most people. They should. They’re very dangerous. They’re most dangerous when they’re in the hands of unskilled shooters.

In contrast, those who have become marksmen have learned the skill that can only come after shooting thousands of rounds of ammunition. Those marksmen have learned certain key pieces of knowledge. That knowledge informs their shooting skill. Their shooting skill makes them safer shooters. They have learned to respect how dangerous a handgun can become in the hand of an unskilled shooter.

As distasteful as this analogy may seem to some, Christians who desire to become truly proficient in their obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ can take some very valuable lessons from skilled marksmen. For example, a skilled marksman never takes his or her eyes off the target he or she desires to shoot.

In like fashion, a Christian who desires to grow more and more obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ must not take his or her eyes off God. That’s why King David declared in the Psalm at the beginning of this blog post: But my eyes are fixed on you,     O Soverign Lord...

The writer of the Book of Hebrews echoes the sentiment of the words of King David in declaring in Hebrews 12:2:

² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

As you make your way through this week, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Don’t let the distractions of the world and its culture lure your gaze to the right or to the left. And, what ever you do, don’t turn around and look behind you. Keep the past in the past. Just move forward in obedience with your eyes on the One who loved you and died for you and rose again for you.

Okay?

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

We want to learn from skilled marksmen to keep our eyes fixed on our “target.” You, O God, are our target—the One we love; the One to whom we wish to give our total obedience.

Please help us by the indwelling power of Your Holy Spirit to have a steadfast gaze that never wavers from You. As we face the distractions of the world and its evil, steady our gaze. Help us to keep in mind the victory that You want to grant us. Help us bring honor, glory, majesty, and power to Your Name.

Thank You for Your overwhelming love for us. And, thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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